Asheville first baseman Brian Mundell leaves no doubt that he likes playing baseball.

“There’s nothing better than to wake up in the morning and knowing you have a baseball game to play that night,” Mundell said this week before a game in Asheville, where he plays for the Tourists, the Rockies’ affiliate in the Single-A South Atlantic League. “I love playing here in Asheville.”

Mundell leads the league in hitting at .359 (as of mid-week), hits with 84and doubles with 32. He was second in RBIs with 37.

Mundell, 22, a seventh-round pick by the Rockies in baseball’s June draft a year ago, is in his second professional season and has opened some eyes.

“Brian is an extreme professional,” said Zach Wilson, Rockies director of player development. “He looks like a major leaguer the way he works, the way he walks, everything.”

Marv Foley, the development supervisor at Asheville, says Mundell is “destined” to play in the major leagues.

“He’s easily one of the top five players in this league,” Foley said.

Mundell isn’t looking that far ahead, saying he has a long way to go before reaching major-league caliber.

At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Mundell presents a good target at first base for throws from the infield. He bats and throws right-handed.

Mundell is serious about maintaining his approach to the game.

“The biggest thing is developing a routine and being comfortable with it,” Mundell said. “I focus on recognizing pitches in the strike zone and hitting them hard with a good swing. I’m not a big thinker. I take the same approach whether the bases are loaded or empty. I like facing the pitcher known as the dude on the other team. It’s going to battle.”

Mundell hit a slump a couple of weeks ago and believes he lost sight of his approach.

“Struggling sometimes provides a good reality check,” Mundell said. “If I don’t stay with my routine, I could get in trouble again.”

Mundell watched his share of Los Angeles Dodgers games while growing up in Southern California. He didn’t have a favorite player but watched how Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers and Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks play first base.